Welcome

We are pleased to announce the 2014 Summer School in Computational Sensory-Motor Neuroscience (CoSMo 2014). This unique summer school focuses on computational techniques integrating the multi-disciplinary nature of sensory-motor neuroscience through combined empirical-theoretical teaching modules and makes use of databases of movement data (NSF CRCNS). Major breakthroughs in brain research have been achieved through computational models. The goal of the Summer School in Computational Sensory-Motor Neuroscience is to provide cross-disciplinary training in mathematical modelling techniques relevant to understanding brain function, dysfunction and treatment. In a unique approach bridging experimental research, clinical pathology and computer simulations, students will learn how to translate ideas and empirical findings into mathematical models. Students will gain a profound understanding of the brain’s working principles and diseases using advanced modelling techniques in hands-on simulations of models during tutored sessions by making use of data / model sharing. This summer school aims at propelling promising students into world-class researchers.

Dates: August 3-17, 2014
Location: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Deadlines:	- April 27, 2014: Application due, including letters of reference
	- May 10, 2014: Notification of acceptance
	- May 20, 2014: Attendance confirmation of applicants and registration payment

The summer school will last for 2 weeks (including Saturdays). Attendants will become familiar with fundamental modelling techniques and their applications to sensory-motor neuroscience. These techniques will be embedded into teaching modules linking theory, empirical findings and clinical applications in areas such as decision making, limb motor control, sensory-motor transformations, computational neuroimaging and learning. There will be morning lectures and hands-on Matlab programming and simulation sessions in the afternoon aimed at solidifying the concepts taught in the morning. The latter are in the format of tutorials supervised by the morning lecturers and local faculty/postdocs. In addition, there will be 2-week long cross-disciplinary research projects focussing on data / model sharing where students can apply the newly acquired knowledge. Students will work in pairs during the afternoon sessions and 2-week projects. An effort will be made to match up students with and without mathematical and/or programming backgrounds. We also offer professional development sessions to complement the academic scope of CoSMo. Finally, participants will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with lecturers of their choice for career advice, project discussion, etc.

This summer school is directed at graduate students and post-doctoral fellows from multi-disciplinary backgrounds, including Life Sciences, Psychology, Computer Science, Mathematics and Engineering. We will also accept highly motivated outstanding under-graduate students. There are no formal prerequisites, but basic knowledge in calculus, linear algebra, neuroscience and the Matlab simulation environment is expected. Enrollment will be limited to 40 participants.

CoSMo 2011, CoSMo 2012 and CoSMo 2013 have been a tremendous success!

The school is organized by Drs Gunnar Blohm, Paul Schrater and Konrad Körding, the Canadian Action and Perception Network (CAPnet), the Queen's University Centre for Neuroscience Studies (Kingston, ON, Canada) and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (USA). It receives funding from the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) via an NSERC-CREATE training grant on "Computational Approaches to Sensorimotor Transformations for the Control of Actions" and from the National Science Foundation (NSF, USA).